€a$tertfoe 


Winston  ;g>alem 
il^ortt)  Carolina 


COPYRIGHT  1908 
BY 

SHAFFNER'S  DRUG  STORE 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/moravianeastertiOOunse 


PALM  SUNDAY 


Chere  is  scarcely  a  day  in  the  entire  year  to  which  we  attach  greater 
importance  than  Palm  Sunday,  commemorating  as  it  does  our 
Lord's  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem,  when  the  multitude 
saluted  Him  by  waving  palm  branches  and  strewing  them  before  Him, 
singing  as  they  went :  "  Hosanna !  Blessed  be  the  King  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord." 

Palm  Sunday  emphasizes  the  kingship  of  Christ.  We  love  to 
think  of  Him  as  our  Friend,  our  Elder  Brother,  our  Saviour,  but  on 
this  day  we  think  of  Him,  more  particularly,  as  our  King.  The  prophet 
in  speaking  of  this  day,  said :  "Rejoice  greatly,  O  daughter  of  Zion ; 
shout,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem ;  behold  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee." 
Therefore  the  services  of  this  day  are  of  a  character  which  leads  us  to 
open  our  hearts  to  receive  Christ  as  our  King. 

Palm  Sunday  brings  to  our  minds  the  self-abnegation  of  our  Lord, 
and  His  deep  concern  for  man.  In  the  midst  of  His  great  triumph, 
while  the  multitude  shouted  His  praises,  while  honor  was  being  fairly 
lavished  upon  Him,  He  wept  over  unbelieving  Jerusalem.  He  turned 
from  earthly  honor  to  the  crown  of  thorns  and  cross. 

The  teachings  of  this  triumphal  day  have  led  us  to  regard  it  as 
an  appropriate  time  for  receiving  into  the  Church  any  who  have 
received  Christ  into  the  heart.  In  view  of  the  children's  glad  welcome 
to  Christ  on  the  occasion  of  His  notable  triumph,  we  esteem  this  a 
peculiarly  appropriate  day  for  welcoming  young  people  into  the  com- 
municant membership  of  the  Church.  The  service  for  the  reception 
of  members  is  one  of  marked  simplicity  and  tenderness. 

Edward  S.  Crosland, 

Pastor  Calvary  Church. 


THE  PASSION  WEEK  READINGS 


Che  reading  of  the  Passion  Week  Manual  is  something  unique  in  the 
line  of  religious  service.    The  story  of  the  last  nine  days  of  Jesus 
Christ  on  earth  is  carefully  taken  from  the  four  Gospels,  and 
arranged  so  as  to  make  a  continuous  and  connected  narrative. 

The  services  are  planned  in  such  a  manner  as  to  have  the  reading 
correspond  to  the  time  when  the  events  occurred. 

On  Palm  Sunday  the  account  of  the  entry  into  Jerusalem  is  read. 
Monday,  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  the  events  of  those  days  form  the  theme 
of  the  readings.  Maunday  Thursday,  the  account  of  the  institution  of 
the  Holy  Communion  and  the  arrest  in  Gethsemane  is  heard  in  the 
services,  and  the  Holy  Communion  is  celebrated  at  night.  The  sub- 
jects for  Good  Friday  are  the  crucifixion  and  burial  of  the  body  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  lovefeast  on  Saturday  or  Great  Sabbath  is  to  com- 
memorate the  rest  in  the  tomb.  The  early  Easter  Sunday  meeting  on 
the  graveyard  as  well  as  the  other  services  of  the  day  all  show  forth  the 
happy  resurrection  thought. 

This  reading  of  the  narrative  as  a  connected  whole,  without  com- 
ment or  exhortation  on  the  part  of  the  minister,  has  a  solemnity  and 
power  about  it  which  must  be  heard  to  be  appreciated,  and  once  heard 
can  never  be  forgotten. 

John  H.  Clewell, 
President  Salem  Academy  and  College. 


MAUNDAY  THURSDAY 


Che  crisis  approaches.  The  storm  clouds  of  envy  and  hate  have 
thickened  overhead.  A  few  hours,  and  they  will  burst  in  full 
fury  on  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus. 

Voluntarily  He  leaves  peaceful  Bethany.  In  the  upper 
chamber,  with  His  disciples,  He  partakes  of  the  Passover,  prophetic 
of  His  own  death,  and  with  the  bread  and  wine  He  institutes  the 
Lord's  Supper.  Finally,  the  parting  words  —  tender,  comforting, 
pulsing  with  love. 

Then  Gethsemane !  Beneath  friendly  olives,  with  soul  "sorrow- 
ful even  unto  death"  He  falls  "on  His  face  on  the  ground"  and 
pours  forth  His  soul-burdened  prayer — "O,  My  Father,  if  this  cup 
may  not  pass  from  Me  except  I  drink  it,  Thy  will  be  done." 
Strengthened  for  the  great  trial,  and  accepting  the  "cup"  as  His 
own,  He  rises,  and,  a  few  moments  later,  receives  the  traitor's  kiss 
and  is  seized  by  the  Roman  soldiery. 


GOOD  FRIDAY 

FOR  THEE  " 


In  judgment  hall  abased, 
With  scourges  lacerated, 

Thy  thorn-crowned  Saviour  see  ! 
The  mocking  robe  He's  wearing, 
The  jeers  and  blows  He's  bearing, 

Because  of  love  for  thee,  for  thee. 


On  Calvary's  hill  behold  Him, 
As  darkness  doth  enfold  Him, 

Fast  nailed  to  cruel  tree. 
From  wounded  side  is  flowing 
The  blood  for  sin  atoning, 
He's  dying  there  for  thee,  for  thee. 


J.  Kenneth  Pfohl, 
Pastor  Christ  Church. 


GREAT  SABBATH 


n  six  days  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  rested  on 
the  seventh  day,  wherefore,  God  blessed  the  sabbath  day  and 


hallowed  it." 

It  was  again  hallowed  by  divine  providence,when,  after  His  crucifixion, 
the  body  of  Jesus  rested  in  the  rock-hewn  tomb  in  Joseph's  garden,  where 
on  the  following  day,  very  early  in  the  morning,  He  arose  from  the  grave. 

Therefore,  the  day  before  Easter  Sunday  is  called  the  "Great  Sab- 
bath," and  is  commemorated  by  the  Christian  Church  at  each  returning 
Eastertide. 

To  believers  it  brings  great  comfort,  for  as  Jesus  rested  in  the  grave 
and  rose  again,  so  the  grave  has  become  to  them  a  resting  place  of  the 
body,  to  await  the  final  resurrection,  which  will  as  surely  come,  as  the 
Easter  morn  succeeds  the  evening  shadows  of  the  Great  Sabbath  Day. 

This  is  the  dominant  thought  in  the  Great  Sabbath  Lovefeast,  when 
hymns  expressing  faith  in  the  crucified  Saviour,  and  brotherly  love  among 
His  followers,  are  succeeded  by  thoughts  of  those  who  "fall  asleep,"  and 
the  triumphant  strains  which  tell  of  the  safety  of  their  rest,  and  of  the 
coming  glorious  awakening.  r 


Superintendent  Emeritus  Salem  Home  Sunday  School. 


EASTER  SUNDAY 


t  has  been  very  truly  said  that  every  Sunday  should  be  an  Easter  day, 
and  one  of  the  best  ways  of  accomplishing  this  happy  end  is  to  send 
the  glow  of  the  one  great  Easter  celebration  out  over  all  the  Sun- 
days of  the  year. 

"  Enthroned  in  thy  sovereign  sphere, 
Thou  shed'st  thy  light  on  all  the  year; 
Sundays  by  thee  more  glorious  break, 
An  Easter  Day  in  every  week." 

In  a  Moravian  community  like  Salem,  North  Carolina,  the  chorals 
of  the  Church  Band  enliven  a  good  part  of  the  night  previous  to  the 
Easter  dawn.  Then  there  settles  down  upon  the  streets  the  solemn 
silence,  as  it  were,  of  a  great  expectation,  until  at  five  o'clock  the  church 
bell  begins  to  ring  out  its  joyous  salutations.  In  the  dim  light  of  the 
morning  a  great  and  reverent  crowd  gathers  about  the  church  doors. 

As  the  last  sound  of  the  church  bell  dies  away,  the  minister,  stand- 
ing at  the  top  of  the  church  steps,  utters  the  glad  message  with  which  the 
first  Christians  were  accustomed  to  greet  each  other  :  "The  Lord  is  risen", 
and  the  great  audience  answers :  "The  Lord  is  risen  indeed." 

Then  follows,  in  exultant  paragraphs,  that  Christian  confession  of 
faith  in  the  risen  Lord  and  Saviour  which  has  come  down  through  the 
ages,  and  to  it  the  assembled  multitude  answers  from  time  to  time  :  "This 
I  verily  believe." 

The  Christian  confession  having  been  made,  in  terms  accepted  by 
the  whole  Church  of  Christ  on  earth,  the  congregation  repairs,  in  solemn 
procession,  to  the  thrilling  music  of  alternate  church  bands,  toward  the 
"God's  Acre,"  up  the  lovely  Avenue  of  Cedars,  until  they  stand  under 
the  old  evergreens,  in  reverent  gathering,  and  by  hymns  as  well  as  by  litur- 
gic  sentences,  express  their  happy  hope  in  their  own  resurrection,  along 
with  that  of  the  dear  ones  whose  bodies  rest  under  the  white  stones  all 
around  them.  And  as  they  finish  these  glad  confessions  of  an  everlast- 
ing consolation,  the  rising  Easter  sun,  from  behind  a  curtain  of  forest, 
sheds  his  radiance  on  the  glad  and  solemn  scene. 

Later  in  the  day  comes  the  Easter  sermon,  and  in  the  evening  the 
reading  of  the  Easter  narrative  completes  a  festal  day,  which  may  be 
expected  to  influence  all  the  Sundays  of  the  year. 

Edward  Rondthaler, 

Pastor  Home  Church  and  Bishop  of  the  Southern 
Province  of  the  Moravian  Church. 


t 


THE  EASTER 
MUSIC 

o  other  season  of 
jjl  the  Church  year 
calls  for  such  va- 
riety or  amount  of  mu- 
sical effort  as  the  Holy 
Week  from  Palm  Sun- 
day to  Easter.  The  ser- 
vices of  the  week  are 
largely  interspersed  with 
congregational  singing  of 
selected  hymns  and  chorals.  The  Choir  and  Orchestra  render 
anthems  from  Moravian  composers,  besides  appropriate  selections  from 
oratorios  and  the  best  music  of  to-day.  The  services  of  Easter  Sunday 
are  the  triumphal  climax  of  the  week.  Before  the  appearance  of  dawn 
the  Trombone  Choir  visits  the  various  portions  of  the  town  and  renders 
in  rich  harmony  the  favorite  chorals  of  the  Church.  When  the  hour  for 
the  early  service  has  arrived  and  the  Litany  has  been  read  at  the  church, 
this  company  of  musicians  is  divided  into  two  sections,  and  as  the  pro- 
cession moves  to  the  graveyard  these  two  companies  discourse  antiphon- 
ally  the  impressive  music  of  the  Church.  The  first  division  plays  the 
first  line  of  each  choral,  the  second  division  responds  promptly  by  play- 
ing the  second  line,  and  though  separated  by  a  great  procession  the  ren- 
dering of  this  music  is  as  exact  as  if  the  musicians  stood  side  by  side. 

Upon  the  graveyard  and  while  returning  to  the  church  the  most 

triumphal  chorals  are  played.  „  T  ^ 

Bernard  J.  Pfohl, 

Director  Church  Band. 


PROGRAM  OF  SERVICES 


HOME  CHURCH 


Palm  SUNDAY,  April  12th  10:30  a.  m.,  Festal  Service 

Confirmation  and  Adult  Baptism 
7:45  p.  m.,  "Bethany" 

MONDAY,  April  13th  7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

TUESDAY,  April  14th  7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

Wednesday,  April  15th  7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

MAUNDAY  THURSDAY,  April  16th  2:30  p.  m.,  "The  High  Priestly  Prayer" 

3:45  p.  m.,  "Gethsemane" 
7:45  p.  m.,  "The  Lord's  Supper" 

GOOD  FRIDAY,  April  17th  10  a.  m.,  The  Holy  Communion 

11a.  m.,  "Before  Pontius  Pilate" 
2:30  p.  m.,  "Calvary" 
7:45  p.  m.,  "In  Joseph's  Tomb" 

SATURDAY,  April  18th  2:30  p.  m.,  The  Great  Sabbath  Love  Feast 

Easter  Sunday,  April  19th  5  a.  m.,  "He  is  risen  !  " 

10:30  a.  m.,  The  Easter  Sermon 
7:45  p.  m.,  Closing  Easter  Service 


CALVARY  CHURCH 


Palm  Sunday,  April  12th  10:30  a.  m.,  Festal  Service 

4:00  p.  m.,  Reception  of  Members 
7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

Monday,  April  13th  8  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

Tuesday,  April  14th  8  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

Wednesday,  April  15th  8  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

Friday,  April  17th  2:30  p.  m.,  "Calvary" 

7:45  p.  m.,  "In  Joseph's  Tomb" 
Easter  Sunday,  April  19th   10:30  a.  m.,  Easter  Sermon 

CHRIST  CHURCH 

Palm  Sunday,  April  12th   3  p.m.,  Reception  of  Members 

7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

Monday,  April  13th  7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

TUESDAY,  April  14th  7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

Wednesday,  April  15th  7:45  p.  m.,  Holy  Week  Service 

MAUNDAY  THURSDAY,  April  16th  2:30  p.  m.,  "The  High  Priestly  Prayer" 

Good  Friday,  April  17th  2:30  p.  m.,  "Calvary" 

Easter  Sunday,  April  19th  10:45  a.  m.,  Easter  Sermon 

7:45  p.  m.,  Closing  Easter  Service 


CALVARY  CHURCH 


Palm  Sunday,  April  12th 

Monday,  April  13th  ...  . 
Tuesday,  April  14th  .  .  .  . 
Wednesday,  April  15th  . 

Easter  Sunday,  April  19th  . 

Pai.m  Sunday,  April  12th  . 
Monday,  April  13th  ... 


JOS.  J.  STONE  &  CO.,  PRINTERS,  GREENSBORO 


